Actuator device for use with an interval timer

ABSTRACT

An actuator device for use with an interval timer comprises a manually displaceable setting member displaceable between a nonworking position and a working position and a locking lever for releasably locking the setting member in its working position whereby an output device may be actuated by the setting member when same is moved into its working position. The setting member is biased into its nonworking position by a biasing spring and is maintained in its working position against the restoring force of the biasing spring by the locking lever. The locking lever is mounted for pivotal movement into a locking position in response to manual depression of the setting member to thereby prevent return movement of the setting member and is mounted for tilting movement to an unlocking position in response to either further manual depression of the setting member or in response to movement of an external output member to thereby permit the setting member to return to the nonworking position.

United States Patent [1 1 Kitai et a1.

[ 51 Nov. 27, 1973 i 1 ACTUATOR DEVICE FOR USE WITH AN INTERVAL TIMER [75] lnventors: Kiyosl i Kitai, Tokyo; Mitsuo Koyama, Yotsukaido-machi; Shogo Kato, Chiba-ken; Yuzuru Takazawa, Tokyo; Shinji Nagaoka,

all of J apan [73] Assignee: Seiko Koki Kabushiki Kaisha,

Tokyo, Japan [22] Filed: Nov. 20, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 307,866

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data 1/1957 Laviana 74/3.54

Primary Examiner-Allan D. Herrmann AttorneyRobert E. Burns et al.

[57] ABSTRACT An actuator device for use with an interval timer comprises a manually displaceable setting member displaceable between a nonworking position and a working position and a locking lever for releasably locking the setting member in its working position whereby an output device may be actuated by the setting member when same is moved into its working position. The setting member is biased into its nonworking position by a biasing spring and is maintained in its working position against the restoring force of the biasing spring by the locking lever. The locking lever is mounted for pivotal movement into a locking position in response to manual depression of the settingmember to thereby prevent return movement of the setting member and is mounted for tilting movement to an unlocking position in response to either further manual depression of the setting member or in response to movement of an external output member to therebypermit the setting member to return to the nonworking position.

7 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PAIENIEDunm ma 3774' 5 sum 1 or 2 FIG. 3

ACTUATOR DEVICE FOR USE WITH AN INTERVAL TIMER The present invention relates generally to an actuator device and more particularly to an actuator device for actuating a member in one direction and for either manually actuating the member in the opposite direction at anydesired time or automatically actuating the member in the oppositedirection after the expiration ,of a preselected time.

The present invention is especially suitable forum in mechanisms which are set in a working'condition and after the performance of some event, the mechanism is automatically reset in its nonworking condition. One such type of mechanism is an interval timer wherein a reference time is selectively set into the timer and thenthe timer is set into its working condition. When the timer detects the reference time, an output signal is provided; and. the timer is thenreset in a condition to enable the setting of another reference time. Conventional timersemploy separate devices for setting and resetting the timer and for responding to the detection of the reference time, whereas the present invention provides a single device for performing all of these operations.

Itistherefore a. primary object of the present invention. to provide an actuator device for actuating an output member under controlledi conditions.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an actuator device especially suitable for use'in atimer for manually. effecting actuation of an output device of the timer into one state and for either manually or automatically effecting actuation of the output device into another state. I

It isyet another object of the presentinvention to provide an actuator device having a locking lever for releasably locking the device in-its actuated state, and which lever is tiltable into an unlocked position to unlock the actuator device.

Theabove and 'other objects of the-present invention are carried outby an. actuator device comprising a manually displaceable setting membermoveable in one direction to set an output device in a firststate and moveable in another direction to place the output device in a second state. A locking'lever is driven by the setting member to a locking position wherein same releasably locks the setting member in the set position and the locking lever is moved into an unlocking position in either a manual mode of operation or an automatic mode of operation. In the manual mode, the setting member is manually displaced a slight distance in theone direction, and then the setting member is released whereupon a biasing spring urges the setting member in the return direction and the restoring force of the biasing spring is effective to tilt the locking member intoits unlocking position thereby enabling return companying drawings, wherein like reference characters denote like parts in the various views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of one embodiment of an actuator device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and showing the actuator device in its settable or uncooked state;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the actuator device shown in FIG. 1 and showing the actuator device in an intermediate state assumed during the setting operation;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the actuator device shown in FIG. 2 and showing the positionsof the various components when the actuator device is in the set or cocked state; i

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a locking lever used in the actuator device shown in FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the actuator device constructed according to the prestor device in its set state; and

' FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the actuator device shown in FIG. 6 and showing the positions of the variouscomponents when the actuator device is in the set or cocked state. I

One embodiment of the actuator device of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-4 and such will be described in connection with its use in an interval timer, though other uses will be readily apparent-to those skilled in the art. The actuator device includes a base plate 4* and a manually actuatable setting member 5 slidably mounted on'the base plate. The setting member 5 has a pair of guide slots6. each coacting with a pin 7 affixed to the base plate 4to mount the setting member for translational sliding movement uponthe base plate. A projection 5a projectsoutwardly from the setting member Sand is manually depressed by the user of the device to effect sliding movement of the setting member to initiate operation of the actuator device.

An intermediate lever 10 is pivotally mounted upon a pin 11 affixed to the base plate 4. The lever 10 has a generally triangular configuration having three tip portions and the pin 11 is located at one tip portion. A

projection 10a extends outwardly from another tip portion of the intermediate lever 10 and slidably engages within an elongated slot 5a provided in the setting member 5- to define a pin-and-slot connection. By such a connection, sliding translational movement of the setting member 5 effects pivotal movement of the lever 10, A biasing springi.l2 coacts withthe projection 10a and biases the intermediate lever 10 in a clockwisedirection to the position shown in FIG. 1.

A locking lever 15 is mounted for pivotal movement on a projection 10b which extends outwardly from the third tip portion of the intermediate lever 10. The locking lever 15 is shown in detail in FIG. 4 and is loosely fitted to the projection 10b so that sufficient clearance or play exists between the two components to permit the lever 15 to tilt 'or incline away from the base plate 4. The-locking lever 15 has a pair of camming surfaces 15a and 15b which sequentially engage with a stationary pin 18 to effect pivotal movement of the locking lever in response to pivotal movement of the intermediate lever 10.

The locking lever 15 further has a pair of inclined abutment surfaces 15c and 15d which coact respectively with the stationary pin 18 and a moveable detection shaft 19 to effect tilting movement of the locking lever out of engagement with the pin 18 in response to axial movement of the detection shaft, as described hereinafter, to thereby enable the actuator device to be reset in its nonworking state. A projection 150 projects from the locking lever into a cutout portion of the base plate 4 and engages with a portion 4a of the base plate to limit the extent of clockwise movement of the locking lever. A biasing spring 20 is compressed between a projection 15f on the locking lever and the projection a on the intermediate lever to bias the locking lever in a clockwise direction into the position shown in FIG. 1. The locking lever is thus mounted for pivotal sliding movement along the top surface of the base plate 4 and thelever is always slightly inclined or tilted relative to the base plate due to the downwardly inclined surface d.

The detection shaft 19 comprises, for example, the output member of an interval timer and is displaced in an axial direction towards the locking lever 15 to tilt the lever. when the reference time set into the timer coincides with the actual time indicated by the timer clock. The details of the detection shaft 19 along with its coaction with the remaining components of the interval timer are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention and reference is herein made to v copending application Ser. No. 307,865 entitled TIME DETECTING SYSTEM FOR A DIGITAL INTERVAL TIMER, and filed concurrently with the present application for a disclosure of the detection shaft and its mode of operation. For an understanding of the present invention, it is only necessary to know that the shaft 19 moves axially into and out of the plane of the paper to engage with the locking lever 15 when same is in the locked position illustrated in FIG. 3.

Aswitch 25is mounted on thebase plate 4 andcomprises the output device which is actuated by the actuator device of the present invention. The switch 25 has three flexible contact members 26, 27 and 28 which are connected at one end to the main switch body for connection to an external circuit of the digital timer. The contact members have contact pieces at their other end and in the absence of any externally applied force, the. contact piece 26a engages with the contact piece 27a and the contact piece 27b is spaced from the contact piece 28a and this condition is depicted in FIG. 1.

The manually displaceable setting member 5 has mounted thereon an actuating projection 5b which is positioned to engage with the distal end of the contact member 27 during rightward movement of the setting member to move the contact member towards the contact member 28 to effect disengagement of the contact pieces 26a and 27a and engagement of the contact pieces 27b and 28a. A layer of insulating material such as rubber or resin is disposed around the projection 5b to electrically insulate the setting member 5 from the flexible contact member 27. Thus the output device has a first state wherein the contact pieces 26a and 27a contact eachother and a second state wherein the contact pieces 27b and 28a contact each other.

The operation of the actuator device will now be de scribed starting with FIG. 1, which shows the actuator device in its settable or uncocked state wherein the setting member 5 is biased leftward so that the locking lever 15 is out of alignment with the detection shaft 19 and the output device 25 is in its first state. When it is desired to set the interval timer to provide an output at a preselected reference time, the setting member 5 is manually urged rightward by depressing the 'pushbuttom 50 to set the actuator device in its set state and position the components as shown in FIG. 3.

As the setting member moves rightward from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate lever 10 is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction about the pin 11 thereby driving the locking lever 15 upward and counterclockwise against the force of the biasing spring 20. The upward movement of the locking lever is restricted by the pin 18 which engages with the camming surface 15a and cams the locking lever in the counterclockwise direction about the pin 10b. When the trailing end of the camming surface 15a moves past the-pin 18, the locking lever rapidly moves upwardly until the" camming surface l'5b engages with the pin 18. During right-ward movement of the setting member 5, the actuating projection 5b engages the contact member 27 and actuates same towards the contact member 28 thereby interrupting contact between the contact pieces 26a and 27a and making contact between the contact pieces 27b and 28a. This condition is shown in FIG. 2.

Then the setting member 5 is released and the components assume the positions shown in FIG. 3 which shows the set state of the actuator device. The biasing springs 12 and 20 bias the setting member 5 into a set or cocked position and maintain the locking lever l5 in a locked position wherein the inclined abutment surface l5c engages with the pin 18 and the lever overlies the detection shaft 19 while the output device 25 is maintained in its second state.

Thus the output device 25 is shifted fromthe first state to the second state and in accordance with the present invention, the output device can be shifted back to its first state in response to either movement of the detection shaft l9,during theautomatic mode of operation of the actuator device or manual depression of the setting member S-during the manual mode of opera tion of the device. Considering first the case when the shaft 19 is used to reset the output device, this occurs when the reference time set in the interval timer coincides with the actual time on the timer clock. when the reference time coincides with the actual time, this condition is detected causing axial movement of the detection shaft 19 towards the locking lever 15. The end tip of the detection shaft then strikes the locking lever 15 and further tilts the lever away from the base plate 4 to an extent sufi'icient to move the inclined abutment surface above thepin 18 to unlock the lever. As soon as the surface 150 moves clear of the pin 18, the biasing springs 12 and 20 immediately restore the components to the positions shown in FIG. 1 whereby the output device is shifted back to its original or first state.

Considering next the case when the output device is reset in response to manual depression of the setting member 5, this may occur whenever it is desired to reset the output device to its first state irrespective of the reference time set in the. interval timer. When the setting member 5 is manually urged rightward from the set position shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate lever 10 is moved counterclockwise and accordingly drives the locking lever upwardly. As the locking lever moves upwardly, the inclined abutment surface 150 slides along the pin l8'until the pin moves beneath the inclined surface. Then when the setting member 5 is released, the biasing springs 12 and urge the locking lever 15 downwardly and clockwise causing the surface 15c to ride up over the pin 18, whereupon the lever 15 is immediately tilted away from the base plate 4 thereby unlocking the lever and enabling the components to return to the positions shown in FIG. 1 due to I able setting member 30 coacting with a locking lever 40 to actuatean output device 50. The slidable setting member 30 is mounted for translational sliding movement by a framework assembly which includes a base plate 31 and a housing 32. The setting member 30 has a projection 34 which extends through and slides within a slot 35 provided in the housing 32. A pushbutton 36 is connected to one end of the setting member 30' and a biasingspring 38 extends around the setting member and is compressed between the pushbutton 36 and the housing 32 tocontinuously bias the setting member in the rightward direction.

The locking lever 40 is mounted on the housing 32 to undergo both pivotaland tilting movement by means of a pin4l. The locking lever has a camming surface 40a engageable with the pin 34 in response to depression of the setting member 30, as shown in FIG. 5, to effect pivotal movement of the lever in a counterclockwise direction about the pin 41 and another camming surface 40b engageable with the pin 34 after the lever has pivoted a predetermined counterclockwise distance, as shown in 'FIG. 6. The lever 40 also has an inclined abutment surface 400 which coacts with the pin 34'to effect tilting movement of the lever 40 away from the housing 32 to unlock the lever from the pin. A biasing spring 42biases the lever 40 in a clockwise direction.

A lever 44 is connected to the locking lever 40 and a pin 46 is connected at one end to the lever 44 and slidably engages with the underside of the lever 44. The

ment with the lever 44 during movement of pin 46 in response to movement of the lever 44 about its fulcrum.

The operation of the second embodiment will now be described starting with the position of the components illustrated in FIG. 5 which depicts the settable or uncocked condition of the actuator device. The setting member 30 is manually depressed to actuate the output device 50 to position the components as shown in FIG.

6. In this embodiment, the output device comprises a microswitch having a first state and a second 'stateand shiftable between the two states in response to actuation of a rod 51. When the actuator device is in its uncocked state, the setting member 30 is disengaged from the rod 51 and the output device is in its first state whereas'when'the setting member 30 is depressed to set .the actuator device in its set or cocked state, the setting lever 40. The actuator device may then be operated in a manual mode or an automatic mode to reset the output device into its first state. a

In the manual mode, the setting member 30 is again depressed causing the pin 34 to slide along the inclined abutment surface 40c until the pin clears the upturned end of the surface 40c after which the biasing spring 42 immediately moves the locking lever 40 in a clockwise direction to position the upturned end of the surface 400 along the direction of movement of the pin 34. Then the setting member is released and the restoration force of the spring 38 returns the setting member to its nonworking position shown in FIG. 5 and during this movement of the setting member, the pin 34 tilts the locking lever 40 upwardly to unlock the lever to permit return movement of the setting member. g

In the automatic mode, the detection shaft 47 is moved inwardly in response to the detection of a desired condition thereby causing the lever 44 to pivot about its fulcrum and causing the pin 46 to move outwardly towards the locking lever 40. The amount of outward movement of the pin 46 is sufficientto tilt the lever out of engagement with the pin 34 thereby unlocking the setting member 30 so that same may be retunred to its nonworking position by the restoration force of the biasing spring 38.

According to the present invention, an actuator devicehas three steps of operation and is especially suitable for use in an interval timer to selectively set the reference time detecting system into its operative state. Moreover, the actuator device may be used in the digital timer to automatically control an ON-OFF switch and to manually control an 'electric power source switch so that the digital timer may be used to automatically turn ON and OFF an electric appliance and the like as well as used to provide a source of electric power.

What we claim is:

1. An actuator device comprising:

a manually movable setting member manually movable in one direction from a rest position to a set position and movable in the opposite direction from said set position to said rest position; biasing means biasing said setting member in said opposite direction towards said rest position; and locking means for releasably locking said setting member in said set position and operative in one mode in response to further manual movement of said setting member in said one direction to effect unlocking of said setting member thereby enabling said biasing means to return same to said rest position and operative in another mode independently of any further movement of said setting member in said one direction to effect unlocking of said setting member thereby enabling said biasing means to return same to said rest position.

2. An actuator device according to claim 1; wherein said locking means comprises a locking member, a movable locking lever, means mounting said locking lever for both pivotal movement into a locking position wherein same engages with said locking member in response to manual movement of said setting member into said set position and tilting movement into an unlocking position wherein same tilts out of engagement with said locking member, and means connecting said locking lever to said setting member to effect tilting movement of said locking-lever in response to said further manual movement of said setting member in said one direction during said one mode of operation.

3. An actuator device according to claim 2; wherein said locking lever has a camming surface movable into camming contact with said locking member during manual movement of said setting member in said one direction to cam said locking lever into its locking position.

4. An actuator device according to claim 2; wherein said locking lever has an inclined surface movable into sliding engagement with said locking member in response to said further manual movement of said setting member in said one direction and slidable over said locking member to tilt said locking member into its unlocked position by the biasing force of said biasing means when said setting member is manually released.

5. An actuator device according to claim 2; wherein said locking means includes an intermediate lever pivotally connected to said setting member and pivotal in a given direction in response to movement of said setting member in said one direction, and means mounting said locking lever for pivotal movement on said intermediate lever whereby pivotal movement of said intermediate lever in said given direction effects pivotal movement of said locking lever into its locking position.

6. An actuator device according to claim 2; wherein said locking member comprises a pin connected to said setting member.

7. An actuator device according to claim 2; wherein said locking means further includes another lever mounted for pivotal movement in a plane transverse to the plane of pivotal movement of said locking lever, and means on said another lever engageable with said locking lever to effect tilting of said locking lever into its unlocking position in response to pivotal movement of said another lever. 

1. An actuator device comprising: a manually movable setting member manually movable in one direction from a rest position to a set position and movable in the opposite direction from said set position to said rest position; biasing means biasing said setting member in said opposite direction towards said rest position; and locking means for releasably locking said setting member in said set position and operative in one mode in response to further manual movement of said setting member in said one direction to effect unlocking of said setting member thereby enabling said biasing means to return same to said rest position and operative in another mode independently of any further movement of said setting member in said one direction to effect unlocking of said setting member thereby enabling said biasing means to return same to said rest position.
 2. An actuator device according to claim 1; wherein said locking means comprises a locking member, a movable locking lever, means mounting said locking lever for both pivotal movement into a locking position wherein same engages with said locking member in response to manual movement of said setting member into said set position and tilting movement into an unlocking position wherein same tilts out of engagement with said locking member, and means connecting said locking lever to said setting member to effect tilting movement of said locking lever in response to said further manual movement of said setting member in said one direction during said one mode of operation.
 3. An actuator device according to claim 2; wherein said locking lever has a camming surface movable into camming contact with said locking member during manual movement of said setting member in said one direction to cam said locking lever into its locking position.
 4. An actuator device according to claim 2; wherein said locking lever has an inclined surface movable into sliding engagement with said locking member in response to said further manual movEment of said setting member in said one direction and slidable over said locking member to tilt said locking member into its unlocked position by the biasing force of said biasing means when said setting member is manually released.
 5. An actuator device according to claim 2; wherein said locking means includes an intermediate lever pivotally connected to said setting member and pivotal in a given direction in response to movement of said setting member in said one direction, and means mounting said locking lever for pivotal movement on said intermediate lever whereby pivotal movement of said intermediate lever in said given direction effects pivotal movement of said locking lever into its locking position.
 6. An actuator device according to claim 2; wherein said locking member comprises a pin connected to said setting member.
 7. An actuator device according to claim 2; wherein said locking means further includes another lever mounted for pivotal movement in a plane transverse to the plane of pivotal movement of said locking lever, and means on said another lever engageable with said locking lever to effect tilting of said locking lever into its unlocking position in response to pivotal movement of said another lever. 